Can We Stay Like This?
by VinArc21
Summary: Rebellious, hot-headed, and unwilling to stand-by and witness injustice, Akiyama Mayu has a nasty habit of walking straight into trouble. But there are some problems that even the Kurogin Five, and their over-enthusiastic teacher, are unable to help her with. Mayu is about to discover that all actions have consequences, but not all consequence are bad.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gokusen II or any characters thereof. I only own my original characters: Akiyama Mayu, Tomo, Sumire, Katayanagi, and Utsui Kenji.**

* * *

"Ma-yu!" Akiyama Mayu - who'd previously been enjoying the unusual peace and quiet of her free study period - looked up at the two approaching girls. One of which skipped with a gleeful smile. "How'd it go?"

"How'd what go?"

Tomo grinned, leaning forward. "Don't play dumb. Even though you didn't tell us, we both know about your date with Katayanagi-kun."

"Although, I must say. We're extremely offended that you chose not to tell us about it."

Sumire pushed her rimless glasses up the bridge of her nose with her palm, careful so as not to smudge the lenses. Known by most for her cool and somewhat detached demeanor, Mayu was more familiar with the calculating and scheming side of her personality. Tomo bounced happily beside her friend. Unlike Sumire, Tomo was more child-like always peppy, positive and honest to the point of being blunt. She glanced between her two friends; complete polar opposites.

A grinning Tomo knelt in front of Mayu and grabbed hold of her cheeks. "Ow-ow-ow!"

"Don't think that, just because you went off into your own little world again, we're gonna let you off the hook!"

Annoyed, Mayu slapped her hands away. "Alright! I'll tell you!"

"Yes!"

Still crouching, Tomo leant back, eagerly awaiting an answer. With a sigh, Mayu closed the book resting on her lap. "He's a pervert and a jerk."

"Eh?"

"That doesn't surprise me in the slightest."

Rounding on Sumire, she pointed an accusing finger. "You knew?!"

"Of course."

"Idiot! Why didn't you tell me?"

She shrugged. "Thought you'd figure it out on your own."

"Some friend you are." Mayu glared. "Could've saved me the trouble."

"I could've." Unbelievable. She stared at the nodding Sumire. "But it wouldn't have been nearly as much fun."

Glasses flashed schemingly as she removed a camera from god-only-knows-where and proceeded to show Mayu several photos that had been taken on her failed date. Including one of her dumping a drink over her date's head. Her nose wrinkled in disgust. Not only was Katayanagi a pervert, but a full-fledge narcissist and overall jerk. He spent the entire date talking about himself, when he wasn't stuffing his face with food or flirting with other girls when he thought she wasn't looking. In her attempt to grab the camera, Mayu landed flat on her face, cursing Sumire and her unusually fast reflexes. It didn't take a genius to know what Sumire planned to do with the photos.

Brushing herself off, Mayu glared. "You show those pictures to anyone...you die."

Sumire gently shook her head, making a soft tutting noise. "You really shouldn't threaten the person holding incriminating material."

"Incriminating on who's side?" They both turned to look at a confused Tomo. "The only one who should be embarrassed by those photos is Katayanagi-kun."

Mayu shared a look with Sumire before pointing at the camera. "She hasn't seen all the pictures, has she?"

"No."

"Good. Keep it that way."

* * *

"Class, I'd like to introduce you to our new transfer student, Utsui Keiji."

The classroom door slid open and in stepped what most girls in the class would've described as the very pinnacle of perfection. Girls giggled madly, some squealing delightfully - including Tomo - and an audible groan could be heard from the boys. The new student, Utsui Keiji, was surprisingly handsome. Mayu scrutinized him; with bleached blond hair that stood out amongst his classmates, the untidy manner in which he wore his uniform and the pale scar she noticed along his neck, she guessed he was no stranger to a fight. Keiji slipped his hands into his pockets as his hazel eyes scanned the class. Despite not paying much attention to the unimportant chattering of the females, he was able to make out certain phrases; "he's so handsome!", "I wonder if he's single?". Keiji suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. Girls were nothing but a nuisance; shallow and self-absorbed. His gaze stopped on one girl in particular. Unlike the others, who shied away from his gaze, this girl had no qualms openly staring at him. She certainly peeked his interest. _There was something odd about the new student_, Mayu decided, _but something captivating all the same. _

"Utsui-kun. Why don't you introduce yourself?"

"Sure. I'm Utsui Keiji. I recently moved here from Hokkaido." The transfer student's voice was deep and smooth, sending a thrill through the female population of the class, who sighed simultaneously. "It's a pleasure to meet you." And with that, he gave a quick bow.

Mayu frowned. He seemed too polite to be a violent guy, but her instincts were rarely ever wrong; at least when it came to people. And she couldn't help but feel somewhat down-heartened. Having prided herself on being able to read people, it was annoying. Keiji straightened, immediately meeting her gaze. She scoffed lightly. He had some nerve. It really pissed her off. Tomo and Sumire shared a look. Both seated directly in front of her, they were the only ones who'd noticed the intense staring contest currently underway.

"I'm certain you'll have no trouble fitting in." The teacher patted his shoulder, motioning over to the empty seat beside Mayu. "Why don't you take the empty seat beside Akiyama-kun?"

A loud groan reverberated through the class; both male and female, though for very different reasons. Smirking, Keiji flung his bag over his shoulder and made this way over. Mayu kept his gaze until the last moment. The class began and she turned her attention towards more important things. Keiji observed her with great interest; noticing the little habit she had of nibbling the end of her pencil whenever the teacher stopped to add an unrelated comment. It was quite an adorable trait. Mayu was well aware of his staring, but payed no mind. Whatever his problem was, she really didn't care.

* * *

Classic Literature was by far the most interactive class of the year, second only to physical education of course. It allowed for students to debate the finer points of the meaning behind the words of great novelists and playwrights such as Shakespeare and Japan's own Murasaki Shikibu. This particular month they were focusing on one of Shakespeare's more famous works, and a classic, Romeo and Juliet. Sadly, what Mayu thought was going to be a lively debate between the class turned into an interrogation from Utsui Keiji.

"So you don't believe in love at first sight?" He questioned, referring to the moment of the play in which Romeo first laid eyes on Juliet.

"No."

"Why?"

Despite her reluctance to explain herself, she was coaxed on by the teacher. "Because love at first sight is superficial love. It's based on a person's outer appearance, not on character."

"Why can't it be both?" Keiji rested his cheek against his palm, angling his head towards her. "I mean, is it really that hard to believe that you can know who a person is at one glance?"

"Hai."

He smirked. "Because it hasn't happened to you."

The girls, who'd been cheering Keiji on, sniggered. Mayu tightened her grip on the desk, anything to prevent herself from acting on the urge to punch him. So it hadn't happened to her. She hadn't found her true love or love at first sight or whatever its called. She was only seventeen and still had her whole life ahead of her. And besides-

"I need proof." She met his gaze. "Name one real-life couple that's still together after 'falling in love at first sight'. Until it's proven, I won't believe in it."

Keiji stared at her. She was certainly an interesting opponent, and completely believed in every word she said. The teacher perched back on his desk, watching the debate with great interest; though he admitted that, since no one else was participating, it was more of an argument than a debate. Either way, it seemed that Mayu had finally found someone capable of standing up to her. She won't believe it unless she has proof, Keiji thought.

"Do you believe in God?"

"I believe in a higher power..." She narrowed her eyes, suspicious of the sudden turn the debate had taken. "Why?"

"Do you have proof that one exists?"

The class erupted in a unison of 'ooo's'. Mayu shook her head. "You're talking about two different things. Faith in something greater than yourself is one thing. Belief in the ability to instantly know someone is completely different."

And now they cheered for her, until. "Then tell me...what's the difference?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

**Mention of the Gokusen boys in this chapter! Promise they'll make an appearance in the next one, so hold out a bit longer! Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!**

* * *

"Come on, Mayu-chan! Just cause one guy was a complete jerk, doesn't mean you can give up on men altogether!"

"Watch me."

Letting out a high-pitched whine, Tomo turned to the otherwise quite Sumire. "Sumi-chan! Knock some sense into that big head of hers!"

"You know better than anyone that when she sets her mind to something, there's no changing it."

Trust her friends to bicker over her personal choices, Mayu mused to herself as she watched the exchange with veiled amusement. They didn't seem to understand the concept of _personal_ - as in, they had absolutely no say in the matter. Leaning back against the trunk of the tree she was currently sitting under, Mayu picked at her bento. Her thoughts wondered away from their conversation and to the debate earlier that day. _Is it really that hard to believe that you can know who a person is at one glance?_ She bit her lip. Yes. _Because it hasn't happened to you_. He didn't know anything about her. Who was he to assume anything of the sort? She gripped her chopsticks tightly. He irritated her beyond belief and it was only his first day!

"Ooh! What about that new transfer student? Utsui Keiji? He's cute." Mayu nearly snapped her chopsticks in half when Tomo winked at her. "And he was totally staring at you during class."

"Stalker anyone?"

Tomo shot Sumire a glare. "You're not helping."

"Neither are you. I wouldn't date that jerk if my life depended on it." Mayu scoffed. "Thinking he knows me."

"Okay! So not Utsui-kun." Tomo tapped her chin, a pensive expression on her face.

And then Sumire smirked. "What about Odagiri-kun?"

Both Mayu and Tomo stared at her, chopsticks poised in the air. Ryu? Was she serious? To suggest something like that, especially knowing that her cousin was currently at odds with his best friend - she couldn't be serious. And even if the sudden animosity between the two wasn't a problem, anything other than a friendship would just seem wrong.

"You're crazy." Mayu turned to Tomo. "She's gone crazy."

"Actually," That wasn't an encouraging word coming from Tomo. "You do look good together. And when he was still friends with Yabuki-kun, you two kinda had a thing going on."

Mayu blinked. "What thing? There was no _thing_. There _is_ _no_ _thing_."

"They wouldn't make a bad couple." She continued as though Mayu hadn't spoken.

Sumire added. "They're perfect for each other. Shame they're oblivious to each other's feelings."

What feelings? There were no feelings. Mayu felt like screaming those words. Granted when she was younger she couldn't help but a have a crush on her cousin's good-looking best friend. But she'd gotten over it almost as soon as it had begun. And here were Sumire and Tomo, bringing up memories of feelings that she was long over. After all, she'd never really known him in the first place. The only time they'd ever seen each other was every now and then when Mayu would visit Hayato. Now thoroughly annoyed, for reasons Mayu wasn't quite certain of, she slammed her chopstick against her bento box.

"There's nothing going on between me and Ryu. And there never will be."

Tomo leant forward. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Sumire raised an eyebrow. "Are you _positive_?"

"Yes."

"Really?" Tomo seemed surprised.

"Stop making me repeat myself!" Mayu exclaimed.

"In that case," Sumire clasped her hands together, glasses glinting dangerously. "Seeing as you don't have any feelings towards Odagiri-kun, you won't mind proving it."

Mayu narrowed her eyes, knowing that she would regret asking, "What do you have in mind?"

"Go on a date with Utsui-kun."

She blinked; starting to get annoyed. "I'm sorry. What part of 'over my dead body' don't you understand?"

"The part where you give up on men and end up living as a nun in a convent on top of a mountain with a pet goat."

Both Mayu and Sumire stared at the grinning Tomo. "Weird." They muttered in unison.

"Anyway," Mayu shook her head, "No way in hell."

"Then give Katayanagi-kun another chance."

Thus emerged the true colors of her so-called friends. If they were in an anime, both Tomo and Sumire would be sporting a pair of red devil horns and a pitchfork right about now. Swallowing hard, she glanced between them. Tomo didn't worry her nearly as much as Sumire did - considering that it was she who was currently in the possession of blackmail material.

"I'm not going on a date with Katayanagi just to prove something that I know for a fact is true."

Tomo pouted. "Aww. You're no fun."

"Damn st-"

"Ah! Mayu-chan!"

Mayu groaned. "Speak of the devil."

Swiftly packing up her bento, Mayu had every intention of making a run for it. Sadly, both Sumire and Tomo were against her. They shoved her towards Katayanagi before taking off in the opposite direction, Sumire's glasses flashing a silent warning. Damn those photos! Muttering a colorful collection of profanities under her breath, Mayu turned at the pervert's approach. As a genuine playboy, one would hardly be surprised by his appearance. A tall, slender but well-built frame wearing the school uniform with the elegance befitting the heir of a company. Short, dark hair framing a slim, clean-shaven face with defined facial features. And, to top it all off, dark eyes that couldn't help but catch a person's attention. At least, that's how his fan club described him.

"Mayu-chan." He grinned down at her, arm resting against the tree. "I've been looking all over for you."

"Why?"

Katayanagi smirked. "This little game you've been playing, it's been fun, but I think it's time you just accepted the fact that you're my girl." His hand worked its way up her arm and came to a rest on her shoulder.

Mayu didn't even bother considering his offer. Shoving his hand from her shoulder, she glared at him. "I think a drink in the face is a clear enough answer."

As she attempted to leave, Katayanagi grabbed her arm. "Don't be like that."

"Let me go." She tried to free her arm, but ultimately failed.

Katayanagi drew her closer. "Now, now. Just relax. I'm not going to hurt you."

She scoffed. "The death grip you have on my arm says otherwise." She struggled yet again. "I said let me go."

His grip tightened for a fraction of a second before he was forcefully yanked away. Caught off guard, Mayu stumbled back against the tree. Keiji stood between her and Katayanagi, who silently got to his feet. The look on Katayanagi's face was familiar. It took Mayu a moment to recognize it as the same look he'd given her when she'd rejected his initial offer to become his pet. Although she couldn't see his face, Keiji didn't seem the least bit concerned about getting in the way of Katayanagi. Probably because the transfer student from Hokkaido had no idea who he was messing with.

"You. Commoner." The corner of Keiji's lip twitched at the title. With a smug look, Katayangi straightened out his uniform. "Do you have any idea who I am?"

"Don't know, don't care."

The rich playboy sneered. "You should. And you should also know, I don't react well to people interrupting my business."

"As I see it," Keiji motioned to Mayu. "Harassing a girl gives me every right." He looked Katayangi over. "What business do you have with Akiyama?"

"It's got nothing to do with you." The boys turned to an irritated Mayu. "Utsui. If I need your help, which I don't, I'll ask for it." Katayanagi smirked, only for her to address him. "Katayanagi. If you come near me ever again, I promise I'll make you regret it."

With that said, Mayu grabbed her bag and headed back towards the school, leaving both boys in her wake. Who did they think they were? One thinking he could just order to her be his girlfriend, the other thinking she was a damsel in distress in need of rescue. Mayu scoffed. Idiots! The both of them. She didn't need anyone to protect her, and she certainly didn't need anyone to make decisions for her.

"Oi! Akiyama!" Ignoring Keiji, who followed her, she quickened her pace. "Hey! I was only trying to help. And I saved your ass. The least you could do is thank me."

She stopped suddenly and he couldn't help but watch her curiously. Lips pressed in a thin line, she turned to him. "I didn't ask for your help, because I didn't need it. If anything, you made the situation worse than it already was. So, no. I'm not going to thank you."

"Are you always this ungrateful?"

"Only to jerks."

Scoffing, he gave her a once over with his eyes. "Don't understand why he'd be interested in an unappreciative, flat-chested girl like you anyway."

Mayu's eye twitched. "Flat-chested?"

"Competitive, stubborn, thick-headed-"

"I think you should shut up before I make you shut up."

"Are you threatening me?"

"Does it sound like anything else?"

"In that case, I should report you."

She couldn't help but laugh. "Report me? To who? The principal?" After a moment, she sobered up. "What do you want?"

He smirked. "I'll cut to the chase then."

"Good idea."

"I need a study partner to help me catch up with the material." He explained. "As irritating, uncooperative, willful, stubborn-" Mayu cleared her throat and he continued. "I've watched you in class. You're extremely attentive, which makes you the best candidate for the job."

She stared at him, lip twitching in annoyance. "Is that your way of asking me to help you out?"

"Yes."

"Here's some advice." She leant closer. "People don't tend to oblige once you've offended them!"

"Did I offend you? I didn't realize." The look on Keiji's face told her otherwise. A hostile glare wasn't enough to satisfy her, but it was all she could do.

"Ask someone else."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

**Here they are!** **A little bit of crazy...and the boys! Enjoy!**

* * *

"ICE-CREAM! ICE-CREAM! TIME! TIME! TIME!" Tomo skipped happily over to the ice-cream vender. "ICE-CREAM TIME!"

She was fast, to say the least. By the time Mayu and Sumire arrived, she was already licking away. Shaking their heads, they ordered. Unlike Tomo, they preferred cup over cone. A good thing to, because the unusually warm weather proved a hassle to Tomo. Mayu had yet to tell them of her encounter with Katayanagi and how Utsui had suddenly decided to play 'knight in shining armor'. She had no plans too, especially regarding the former. It worried her though. Katayanagi was the sort of guy who, once he found something he wanted, would do everything in his power to make sure he got it. They strolled through the park; Mayu and Sumire occasionally glancing over at Tomo, who was licking madly at the melted ice-cream spilling over the edge of the cone. Occasionally, in her effort, Tomo would let out a soft grunt. To the perverts walking past, it was amusing and well worth the watch.

"Oi. You perverts plan on having children in the future?" They stared at Mayu. "Keep looking and you won't."

Taken aback, and not willing to take the chance, the perverts quickly turned tail and ran. Sumire chuckled to herself as she scooped up another spoon of ice-cream, clearly amused by the situation. Tomo, as always, remained completely oblivious to what had happened, still focused on making sure no ice-cream was lost. She was so naive it was almost painful. Mayu couldn't really believe it sometimes, which is why it was up to her and Sumire to look out for their innocent friend. The thought of what might've happened had Tomo been alone sent a chill down her spine.

"Eh? Come on, Sumi-chan! Just let me have a little!"

Sumire pulled her ice-cream away from Tomo as she sat at the picnic bench. "Eat your own. You've got three flavors there already."

"I've got chocolate, mint and vanilla. But I don't have strawberry!" Tomo straightened, suddenly becoming serious. "I shall explain. Chocolate, vanilla and strawberry are the three staple ice-creams; the originals. When all three are eaten together, it's perfection."

"Then you should've gotten strawberry."

"No," Tomo continued. "The crème-de-la-crème of ice-cream is mint! But because neither of you like mint, the only way for me to have mint _and_ strawberry, is to order mint and steal the strawberry from you guys."

With an smug smile, Sumire held out a spoonful of strawberry ice-cream to Tomo. Her eyes brightened, thinking that maybe Sumire had changed her mind, only to be thoroughly disappointed when the spoon was yanked away. Mayu giggled at the look on Tomo's face. Priceless.

Sumire licked her lips, and with a malevolent chuckle, waved her ice-cream back and forth under Tomo's nose. "You're still not getting any."

Of course, Tomo proceeded to throw a fit. "You're so mean! Mayu-chan! Sumi-chan won't give me any ice-cream! Make her share!"

"Sumire-" Her phone vibrated. "Hold on a second." As Tomo dangled around Sumire's neck, Mayu answered her phone. "Hello?"

"_Mayu-chan!_" The sing-song voice called, forcing Mayu to pull the phone away from her ear to prevent bursting eardrums. "_How are you my gorgeous daughter?!_"

"Old man," The girls turned to look at her, "Did you get into the sake again?"

Giggling was heard on the other side. "_Of course not. You know I don't drink, silly._"

Mayu rolled her eyes. "Did something happen?"

"_Nooo!_" He sung happily. "_One guess down! Two to go!_"

Tomo grabbed Mayu's wrist, pulling the phone closer. "Tell her already! You're interrupting ice-cream time! You DON'T interrupt ICE-CREAM TIME!"

"_Is that Tomo?! Stay away from my Mayu-chan, you little monkey!_"

As Tomo went to reply, Sumire was quick to clamp a hand over her mouth. Mayu put the phone to her ear. "Just tell me why you're calling."

"_Your uncle's out on a long trip and won't be back until next week._" She heard the distinct sound of a bottle opening, but said nothing. "_You remember the accident last time?_"

"Yeah. That idiot cousin of mine fell asleep, left the stove on and nearly burnt the place down."

Her father giggled. "_That's it! You're uncle wants to make sure the house stays in one piece, so he's asked if we wouldn't mind having them over for dinner until he gets back_."

"Okay...why are you telling me? It's not like you need my approval or anything."

"_No! But I want you to tell Hayato-kun! And pick up some milk on the way back!_" And with that, he hung up.

Slamming her phone shut, Mayu cursed under her breath. That old man was at it again. Drinking like a fish and ordering people around without so much as a second thought. The rate he was going, her mum was bound to get angry again. Tomo, who'd gotten the brilliant idea to try and snag Sumire's ice-cream while she was preoccupied, ended up face first again the table. Her arms moved through the air, flailing ridiculously.

Mayu raised an eyebrow at her friends, but Sumire acted as though nothing were out of the ordinary. "So?"

"Mum's gonna murder him." She shrugged, slipping the phone back into her bag. "Oh well, nice knowing him."

"I meant, what did he want?"

They ignored Tomo's struggling. "I have to go over to Kurogin and tell my idiot cousin he's having dinner with us." Getting to her feet, she sighed. "Wanna come with?"

It was obvious that Tomo wanted to, but because she was unable to speak, Sumire was left to decide for her. "No. You have fun. And say hello to Odagiri-kun for me."

"He doesn't attend classes anymore remember." Mayu rolled her eyes. "And even if he did, STOP INSINUATING!" Grabbing her bag, she slid her virtually untouched ice-cream cup over to Tomo. "Here. Strawberry."

* * *

Tapping her heel against the stone wall, Mayu waited impatiently as students filed past. Every student but the one she was actually waiting for. He sure was taking his sweet time leaving school, considering how he constantly went on and on about how it was a waste of his precious time. And, it wasn't like she had anything better to do. She gritted her teeth. Damn that old man! Too lazy to run his own errands. Groaning, she leant her head back against the wall; irritation beginning to set in. Next time he asked her for something, whether he hung up on not, she wasn't going to do it.

"Hey...who's that? She's hot."

"No idea. But whoever's with her's one lucky bastard."

"Maybe she's single."

"I'll give you 500 yen if you ask her out."

What? Did he just- Mayu bit her lip, urging herself to ignore them. She certainly wasn't in the mood to deal with this crap. Still, it pissed her off. Talking about her like she was something to be won and owned. She wasn't a pet. One of the boys, the one who'd accepted the challenge, swaggered over to her as though he were the king of the world. More like a little earthworm she felt a strong desire to crush. A sly grin appeared on her face as she turned to look at him. He immediately froze. What could she say? Being forced to wait in the hot sun to deliver a message that could've been texted, instead of eating ice-cream with her friends made her cranky. She would've laughed. All color had drained from the boy's cheeks and he looked like he was going to faint at any moment.

"Eh? Mayu?"

Of course. Hayato arrived when she was finally having some fun. Wager forgotten, the boy ran for the hills at the first sight of her cousin. Knowing class 3D wards off unwanted guys. How had she not realized this sooner? It was something she definitely planned to exploit in the future. Pushing herself from the wall, Mayu approached her cousin, and his friends.

Grinning, she gave the boys a peace sign and a wink. "Long time no see."

"KAWAII!" Hayato's friends chimed.

Hayato, both annoyed and surprised by his cousin's sudden arrival, twitched. "What are you doing here?"

She pouted, fiddling innocent with the hem of her skirt. "You're not happy to see me?"

He hesitated. Mayu would admit, the power that came with being a girl was intoxicating. All she needed to do was put on the innocent girl act and guys would fall at her feet. She wasn't being narcissistic; it wasn't just her after all, but all female kind. Thinking back, the only time she acted like this was to annoy Hayato. Such a waste of talent.

"Why wouldn't he be happy to see you? You're his cousin after all."

That voice. From behind the tallest of the group, a familiar face stepped out. "Eh? Ryu?" She smiled. "So you and my idiot cousin are friends again, I take it?"

"Idiot cousin? W-Wait! Why're you addressing him so informally?" Hayato disliked the idea of Mayu having a personal relationship with his friend. "Huh?"

"What's the big deal?" Mayu insisted. "I've known him since we were kids. Besides," She crossed her arms, "Ryu doesn't mind. Do you?"

He shrugged. "No."

"That's beside the point!" Hayato was starting to get angry. "People will think you two have _that_ kind of relationship!"

"Why is everyone saying that today?" Mayu mumbled rather loudly.

Hayato's eyes widened. "What? Who's saying that?"

"Never mind." She brushed off her comment with a wave of her hand. "I call you by your first name. Are you saying that everyone thinks we have _that_ kind of relationship? Cause that'd be disgusting on so many levels."

Grabbing hold of her upper arm, Hayato steered her away from his friends, stopping only when they were out of ear shot. A quick tug was all it took to force her to face him. He didn't look too happy.

"What're you doing here?"

"You won't introduce me to your friends. Are you embarrassed to be seen with me?" He narrowed his eyes and she sighed. "Fine. I'm delivering a message. You're having dinner at our place until uncle gets back."

He scoffed. "The old man thinks he can order me around. I'm fine having dinner at home."

"Cause that worked out so well last time." Mayu rolled her eyes. "Dinner's at seven. If you're not on time, Mum'll kill you." With a cute smile, she peered past Hayato. "It was nice seeing you boys. Maybe next time, my idiot cousin'll let us get to the introductions. And Ryu, glad you're friends with Hayato again." She straightened. "Well, see ya."

Still smiling, she walked off, skirt bouncing with every stride. Sadly, for all those perverted male students brave enough to take a peek, Mayu was clever enough to wear shorts underneath. If it wasn't blatantly obvious, Mayu was quite popular with the opposite sex. She didn't like it, but there wasn't anything she could do to stop it. Hayato, noticing the looks of passing Kurogin students - like vultures spotting a rotting carcass - glared.

"Oi! You like seeing? I suggest you keep your eyes to yourself!"

They immediately dispersed. When Hayato threatened someone, he was generally more than willing to go through with it. Especially in regards to his cousin. He watched her leave, making sure that she was left alone. So absorbed in keeping Mayu free of jerks wanting to take advantage of her, he barely had time to react to being jumped by his overly excited friends.

"Eh, Hayato. You've been holding out on me, man. You're cousin's a babe." Tsucchi fanned himself repeatedly as he watched her retreating figure. "Is she single?"

Hayato glared. "Mayu's off limits."

"Not to Ryu, right?" They turned to Take. "She did mention something about people thinking they had _that_ kind of relationship."

The four of them simultaneously turned to Ryu, who stared back at them, hands in his pockets. In Hayato's mind, all there was were images of Mayu in a variety of compromising positions, crying out for help as Ryu had his way with her. Take, Tsucchi and Hyuga were thinking the same, with slight variations here and there - never to be told to Hayato.

Ryu raised an eyebrow. "What are you guys imagining?"

Realizing that it was all in his head, Hayato chuckled uncomfortably. "You wouldn't." Pushing the thought from his mind, he draped an arm around Ryu's shoulder. "To the cafe!"

Laughter ensued as they made their way. Hayato had soon forgotten the idea of Mayu and Ryu together, but Ryu hadn't. He leant back against the couch, sloshing the contents of his canned drink absentmindedly. Although he wouldn't admit it to Hayato, Ryu was quite fond of the idea of being with Mayu. There was a reason he didn't look at other girls and Mayu was it. He was curious; when had he suddenly stopped seeing her as the annoying, flat-chested brat that used to burst into Hayato's room unannounced just to annoy them? When had she become so beautiful?

"Oi Ryu!" He shook his head and turned his attention to Hyuga. "It's your turn."


End file.
